The Health Ministry announced late Wednesday night that seven museums would open in the coming days as part of a coronavirus pilot program meant to gauge how these facilities can operate while keeping infection down.
At the time of this writing, four museums had been selected to take part in the program: Madatech Museum in Haifa, the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, the Tel Aviv Museum of Art and the Eretz Israel Museum in Tel Aviv. Three more museums will be selected through a lottery organized by the Culture and Sport Ministry.
The Health Ministry laid out the parameters for visiting museums as follows:
1 - Visitors must make a reservation in advance.
2 - Museum operators must establish a digital means to regulate the entry and exit of people, excluding employees, so that at no time does the museum exceed its maximum allowed capacity.
3 - Guided tours can be offered to up to 10 people.
4 - The flow of visitor traffic should be in one direction as much as possible.
5 - Ushers will be positioned throughout the museum, near each major exhibit, to remind visitors of the rules, such as wearing masks and social distancing; exhibits will also be disinfected after each group of visitors.
6 - Violations of the rules by participating museums will be subject to a NIS 5,000 fine.
In addition to the museum pilot, the Health Ministry is piloting programs to open malls and marketplaces and to allow more competitive athletes to train.